Objective: To describe a technique for fully digital in-house aligner fabrication to treat orthodontic problems encountered during the coronavirus pandemic.
Case description: A 21-year-old woman presented to the outpatient department of the Division of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Deformities at the Centre for Dental Education and Research, All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India with the chief complaints of impingement due to a broken mandibular fixed retainer and relapse of mandibular incisor alignment. After resolving the impingement problem, a fully digital in-house aligner was used to correct the misalignment of the mandibular anterior teeth over a treatment period of 2 weeks without any support from an external laboratory.
Conclusion: The use of CAD/CAM technology together with 3D printing and thermoforming, as described in the present report, may represent a feasible approach for treating mild orthodontic problems without the need to outsource laboratory support; it is therefore a practical treatment option during the coronavirus pandemic.
Keywords: 3D printing, 3D scanning, aligners, incisor crowding, orthodontics, relapse
